Month: March 2016

This is my Best Friend’s Favorite HP book. I sent her this when I started reading it.

I’ve started reading the Harry Potter series for the first time… and I’m in college.

As a child, Harry Potter never interested me. I didn’t want to read about a boy who was off at wizzarding school. I wanted to read american girl books, the Junie B. Jones books and as I got in to middle school, I started reading Ally Carter and Lisi Harrison’s books. I’ve always been (let’s face it, I still am) in to the more contemporary type books. I did try to read harry potter once when I was in grade school, around fourth grade. I read about twenty pages before I decided I didn’t like it. (I think a lot of it had to do with the fact it was the wrong book but i’m not a hundred percent on that. It was over ten years ago.)

So what made me decide to pick up Harry Potter later? The main thing that made me decide to pick up Harry was that everyone who talks about it raves about how amazing the writing is. As a writer, I’m always wanting to read the writing of those who are better than me. Other reasons that contributed to me picking up Harry include, I was sick of not getting all the references to it in pop culture, I was sick of getting the GASP! YOU HAVEN’T READ HARRY POTTER, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s my best friend, Tina’s, favorite thing ever.

I wasn’t initially going to finish the series. The I had mixed feelings on the first book when I finished in in 2015. What made me decide to finish the series, was one day when I had writer’s block, I decided to watch interviews of J.K Rolling on youtube. Man, that woman is amazing. I loved watching her talk about these characters, as if they were real people and how she knew what happened to them, long after the series finished. Now, i’m not comparing myself to her by any means but the way Joanne talks about Harry and this gleam in her eyes, is similar to me when I talk about my characters/ stories. It was then I decided that I would finish the series in 2016.

Quick disclaimer before I start talking about the book, this post contains spoilers from this point on. I know, that you all have probably read the series but if some slim chance, you’re like I was, it’s your chance to escape this post before something is ruined for you.

Normally when giving a review, I’d give a summary of the book, but since more people than not have read these, I’m not going to do that. However, if you need a refresher, click on the tittle of the book and it’ll take you to the good reads page where you can read the book’s summary.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretswas the very first book I read in 2016. First, let me start off by saying that I am still blown away as Voldemort as Tom Riddle used Ginny to open the chamber. Truthfully, I don’t think i’ll ever get over that. The pace in this one moved much faster (witch I really appreciated) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. One thing I loved about Chamber so much was that you start to see the relationship between Ron and Hermonie start to develop (At this point, I knew that Ron and Hermonie get married. Also, I knew that Harry and Ginny marry. Remember those interviews I watched? Not exactly spoiler free.) The thing I loved most about Chamber was that the smallest, almost insignificant details from Sorcerer’sStone came in to effect such as the storing hat almost placing Harry in Slytherin (I’m a Hufflepuff in case you were wondering) and Harry talking to the snake at the zoo. Honestly, I’m amazed at how much these much have been planned out.

So far, this is my favorite Harry Potter Book. Though, I have a feeling i’m going to love the fifth. What’s your favorite Harry Potter Book? Please NO SPOILERS, I haven’t finished the series yet!

Bumped, by Megan McCafferty, takes place the year 2036 where a virus has swept the plant making anyone over the age of eighteen infertile. So, teen girls have become the most important people on the planet. Adults are paying these girls to have children for them.Melody, a sixteen year old has scored a huge contract with a rich couple to “bump”. But, Melody’s luck is about to run out. Her long lost twin identical sister Harmony, who was raised in a colt like religious community, comes up out of nowhere and a case of mistaken identity could ruin everything.

Really, I’m not sure where to start with this book.

I didn’t know much about this book going in to it other than it was a book about teen pregnancy. I didn’t expect it to be dystopian. I thought it was going to be more of a contemporary, witch in some ways it was. It was like a mix of those two.

I liked how it was told in alternating point of view between the two twins, Harmony and Melody. This way, you were able to see things through both of their eyes. It also helped keep the pace of the story moving quickly.

I would have liked a bit more of an explanation about the virus and bumping. Yes it was eventually explained but specifically, in the first few chapters. It was confusing at first.

I wish the virus would have had a name. Yeah, calling it “the virus” doesn’t take away from the story but had it had a name, it would have given some depth to the world.

Also, in the first two chapters, I would have liked to seen more distinction between Harmony and Melody. Yes, they’re very different and they’re names are at the top of each chapter when the switch off happens but there was a couple of times where I had to couple take because they were acting so similar.

I actually ended up really enjoying this book for the first fifty or so pages, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. At one point, I remember thinking probably shouldn’t have bought the sequel right away. But I really got in to it, the two hundred-ish pages I read in one sitting.

It was an interesting take on teen pregnancy and surrogate pregnancy. It’s definitely unlike anything I read before.

And the thing I really didn’t expect was, I can’t wait to dive in to the sequel, Thumped. I can’t stop thinking about the unexpected ending

Because of the uniqueness of this story and because I wasn’t able to put it down, I gave Bumped 4/5 stars.

Have you read Bumped? I’d love it if you shared your thoughts with me!

Madly Truly Famously is the sequel to Famous In Love. By reading this blog post, you might accidentally spoil Famous in Love. I suggest that you read the first book and then come back and read this blog post. Never heard of Famous in Love? You can read my review of it here.

At the End of Famous in Love, Paige made her choice. She choose Rainer and while she knows that she choose wrong, she is happy being Rainer’s girlfriend. Rainer makes Paige feel safe in the crazy Hollywood World. Yet, Paige can’t deny her feelings for Jordan. At a party where Paige and Rainer fight, Paige calls Jordan to come pick her up. The media gets ahold of some pictures that aren’t what they look like and it blows up in the meida. Even though she’s made her choice, Paige is still very much caught in a love triangle, just like the one in the movie that she, Rainer and Jordan starring in. Only, this is real life, not a movie.

I think I liked Truly Madly Famously even more than I liked Famous in Love and I really liked Famous in Love.I was sucked in to the plot. There nothing better than a good love triangle! Placing it in Hollywood, with fame and paparazzi, just adds to the drama- all for the better.

Something I loved in Truly Madly Famously that Famous in Love was lacking was characters other than Jordan, Paige and Rainer. The addition of Alexis was a great move because it gave Paige someone to help guide her through Hollywood and a friend who gets what she’s going through. Anther thing I really liked about Alexis, was that she had known Rainer and Jordan, long before the story started. It helped give more depth to their characters.

There was so much character growth in Truly Madly Famously. I really enjoyed these characters figure out what they want and what they should do about it. In that process, they learned so much about themselves and the world around them. I really do love all these characters and I want to see them be happy.

When I was reading Truly Madly Famously I thought there was going to be a third one, up until the last page where it seem to end with no loose ends. I was happy with the ending. But when I was playing around on Goodreads, I saw this:

PLEASE LET IT BE TRUE! I’ve really come to love Paige, Rainer, Jordan and Alexis. I would absolutely love to get another story with them. Also, while I was playing around on Goodreads (or procrastinating on doing my homework is a better term) I found out that there’s a novella e-book of Locked the novel turned movie franchise that Paige is starring in. I can’t wait to read it.

Reading the sequel, has made me even more excited for the TV Show adaptation of Famous in Love. I have no idea when it’s going to air or if its even in production but I’m really looking forward to it.

I gave Truly Madly Famously 4/5 stars. I’ve really enjoyed reading this duo and I’ve really come to love Rebecca Serle’s writing style. It won’t be long before I pick up one of her other books. Her book, The Edge of Falling looks amazing!

Have you read Truly Madly Famously or any of Rebecca Serle’s books? Share your thoughts with me!

Famous In Love by Rebecca Serle is about Paige Townsen who has known her whole life that she’s wanted to be an actress. When there’s an open audition for Locked, the latest blockbuster book turned movie, she goes. What she never imagined was that she would actually get the part and get thrust in to Hollywood. She also never imagined that, like her character August, she would be caught in a love triangle with her costars, Rainer and Jordan.

So I have to say, I didn’t know much about this book going in to it. I saw it at Barnes & Noble and picked it up thinking that it looked cute and it was from the poppy subdivision of little brown publishing and that I had never read a bad book with a poppy on the spine.

I have to say, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I initially thought I would. It’s not that I had a bad attitude going in to this book, it’s just more so that I had no expectations, minus the poppy on the spine.

The story moved at a good pace. Everything mentioned in the story was relevant to the plot and the writing style was enjoyable.

The author did a really good job with character development. Paige, the main character, was lovable. I was rooting for her and I wanted to see her pick the right guy, and see her achieve her dreams. I also love how the author managed to make me feel stuck between the two boys, Jordan and Rainer (Although, I’m team Jordan). I like how they were well developed characters as well. Sometimes, in these YA romance novels, I feel like the love interests aren’t that well developed and when that’s the case it takes away from the story.

Also, if you didn’t know, this book along with it’s sequel, is being turned in to a TV show for ABC Family. I think Bella Throne is going to be playing Paige. I look forward to seeing how this story translates on to the big screen.

Also, the sequel will be finding it’s way home with me next time I visit Barnes & Noble.

This book was a fun light read. I give it 4/5 stars. The words weren’t crammed on the page (something I really appreciate) and the story sucks you in. I’d recommend this book to fans of Anna and the French Kiss and it’s companion novels, by Stephanie Perkins.